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Just lob an arrow at it.

It’s astonishing the sheer number of requests I’ve seen for a tracking dog already this season.

It seems like the mindset just lob an arrow and hope I connect and we’ll bring a dog in to find it is what we have with today’s hunters.

It’s either that or we lost a hell of a lot of wounded deer In the woods every season leading up to this dog thing. Don’t get me wrong, dogs have their place. But not as a crutch to accommodate poor archery skills.

One gentleman I know has two really good dogs and went 6 for 6 on finding deer this weekend. That’s also just a radius around the area he lives. Multiply that across the entire state, WOW!

Tharp are a great tool but your right it shouldn’t change our ethics in shots.

Modern times. Modern weapons. The same guys lobbing arrows (or prob bolts). are the same ones complaining about predation.

Its really hard to determine what people are doing in the moment of truth. There will always be the people that lobs an arrow out of sheer adrenaline, but i am sure the majority of hunters are just being careful and see the many benefits of using a dog. Better safe than sorry. I am happier with that principle vs go jump the deer and lose it for good. Also, I am happier just worrying about myself then what people boast about on social media. I don't have one and for those same reasons. No reason to be envious of others and let that get in the way of my season. I see it happen too often. Thats my take on it. Worry about our own self and help a hunter when in need. Ps. Dont be a trashy hunter either. Pick up your trash or go even further, pick up what others leave behind. Its getting worse too. I cannot stand those people.

I think there are a ton of people out hunting too. The public spots by me have been packed, never seen them so busy this early. Lots of bucks being taken already, the FB pages I follow are seeing a Lot of posts.

I think it might be a reflection of poor tracking skills or lack of confidence there of.

Most of us concentrate on the kill but forget about the recovery and processing which starts with dressing.

From what I kinda been hearing about the help of dogs is more then half the the finds would have easily ben found if they put forth any effort them selves (lots of 30 to 100yd finds). You should not need help tracking a double lung shot ,yet many dogs are used for such. I just hope basic blood trailing skills aren`t a dying skill or a thing of the past.

The truth is, we hear these words. When in doubt, back out. I did it two seasons ago. Deer stepped toward me at the release of the arrow. Single lung entry, gut exit. I waited the 30, climbed down quietly, inspected the arrow, and saw gut. It makes you second guess yourself. Called a fella with a dog. First thing he asked was, did you try and track it? My reply was no, and he said we will find your deer in the morning. Thanks for backing out. That's how confident he was. 600 meters later, the dog found him dead in his first bed. Yes, I would have found the deer. It bled enough to follow, and the deer was dead in his first bed, and the rigor said he'd been dead several hours. I'm not sure every dog tracking job is because people absolutely lack tracking skills, as much as it is much safer to back out. These blood dogs are not following blood like so many assume. They are literally tracking the interdigital gland as the deer goes into shock. These dogs are able to smell what we literally cannot see. Are people lobbing arrows more now than in the past? Probably not. I'm sure it is just easier to find a guy with a reliable dog due to its growing popularity, so people are relying on that tool. I want to mention, that this wirehaired dachshund was unbelievable. It was a joy to watch, and finding the deer went much faster. How would you feel going to bed with these words in your mind? "We will find him in the morning". That allowed me to sleep just a bit easier. I have since become friends with that tracker. He said when 6 people go out and grid search, they not only bump the deer from the bed he'd likely die in, but they muddy up the area spreading scent all over the place, and this does the dog no good. I hope to never need the guy again, but you bet your ass I'll call him if I have another questionable shot.

Pete - Great post!!!

Completely agree Pete. I've been on a couple of long track jobs for friends that wouldve been quick with a dog. I love tracking but theres no doubt getting a dog on the trail before people start tracking raises the odds of finding it

Good point Pete, curious as to what the average cost for a dog is to hire?

I would be more worried about the one's that shoot and give up after 5 minutes trying to find it . At least the people calling are trying to retrieve there animal . With around 80/100,000 deer shot will a bow there's going to be a lot of miss happenings . 5pct would be 4 to 5000

Mnhunter1980. Cost? Would you believe most don't "charge" a thing? They love the hunt and watching their dog so much, they will often do it for nothing. Of course they accept tips, and many do in fact charge. The real issue is needing them, and they being available when you need them. Ironically the guy I called, got a speeding ticket on the way to my place. Absolutely would not let me pay the ticket. He said that was on him. I left $150 in his truck, and he later thanked me, and said I'd never pay again. He asked me if he was able to take his young Teckel and put him on the scent after we found my buck. He obviously followed our scent, and the other Teckel's scent, but he ran to that deer. It was awesome. The fact I took time for this houndsman to train his pup a little, was an immediate friendship made. He's helped a couple friends of friends and so far 100%. I'm not going to lie, a little bit of me wants to train a dog, and a little bit of me wants to need his dogs again. Well, not really, but that was a blast to watch. They weren't like baying coon hounds that drives me batshit crazy. They were silent, and all business. I know it seems crazy that a dachshund could be a blood dog, but I promise these dogs are all business. They were purchased in Germany, from an ancient bloodline. They are very keen on wire-haired breeds over there. Smooth coat breeds are often overlooked. I'm not sure it really matters? I'm pretty certain most dogs can be taught the way. I grew up with blue ticks and redbones. I'll promise they have noses lol. My beagle can smell a cheese slice through the cellophane lol.

The reason you here about it is because you are on a Facebook page. 20 years ago there was just as many wounded deer but you didn't hear about them because they weren't being posted online for thousands to see.

Firsty is right on. Social media brings the best and the worst of our world directly to us 24/7/365 often making our present world look much worse than it really is.

No disrespect to the trad guys, but back in the day when compounds were quickly taking over the bowhunting world, we used to call those still shooting the recurve, "deer wounders." That was the opinion of the time and I don't think that is true today any more than compound users are deer wounders. Today, most trad guys are extremely dedicated to their craft today and understand their weapon's limitation, unlike some of the bolt throwers and compound users.

Trickle Rut-Not sure why you have to throw the lobbing arrows and complaining about predators in the same sentence. You draw some very interesting conclusions.

My friend with the Bavarian Mountain Hounds charges $100.00. Not much really because of his travel costs sometimes hours away.

The guy is I used last year told me he doesn’t charge, but has accepted tips in the past. He said he saves all three weeks of his PTO for the rut. He also said he all but gave up hunting, because helping others and letting his dog do the work was way more rewarding. It seems most of the trackers I’ve encountered do it for that reason, rather than doing it to survive. My opinion is it’s a valuable tool and watching an animal use its nose and instincts is a great experience.

Buy our Xbow and you will place arrows in tight groups at over 100 yards !!!!!!!!!!! couldn't be part of the problem ?????

Sure grouch........

Good point Grouch, it IS part of their advertising.

Interesting stuff . I have an old 8 MM tape of Fred Bear taking 75 yard shots at a Moose until he hits it . He tells the camera man the most important thing is to hit the animal so you can track it until you get another shot .And another. Geez .

Times have changed. I think Deer are very easy to recover . They leave a trail that Ray Charles could follow. But I have not actually trailed a wounded Deer for years .

After the hit I analyze all the factors while I wait the usual 30 minutes . OK the Deer headed Noth , there's a tag Alder swamp with a hi & dry spot in the middle. A known area for mature Deer , I walk directly to it . I start tracking with all else fails .

That’s pretty neat that some do it for tips or 100 bucks.

Seems like 100 would be a starting point for a track job in there own county. It sounds like some of these guys travel a bit for hunters they never met. Seems like a great tool for the right situation.

Mnhunter1980, I hope you never need one, but I hope you do. The point is, the dog has been alongside man for a long time. All breeds derived from wild animals of course, but all of which serve their loyalty to the man who provides them a guaranteed shelter, warmth, food, and if we are both lucky, the love only a dog can provide. It is unconditional, and the only thing they want from us, is to be recognized as part of our pack. I have owned many breeds of dogs, bred dogs, trained dogs, and loved dogs my entire life. I cannot imagine my home without one, and in my case, 2 (one the senior, and one the junior). For me, breed is almost irrelevant, because each breed has its pros and cons, and the pros most certainly outweigh the cons. You chewed up my shoes? Well, I guess that's on me, because I left that tasty morsel out there, and you love the smell of feet and leather. Right dog lol? Anyway, this same bond is what a houndsman who tracks scent, a duck hunter with his retriever who fetches waterfowl, a shepherd who has a healer who helps tend the flock, or a person who protects his home with a Belgian Malinois. These dog owners/lovers just want to observe their dog do shit that seems almost incomprehensible. I've owned many breeds, and I'm impressed with them all, and I wish humans were as loyal. If people want to disregard the need for dogs at a moment they might be better than we are, than I'm sorry for them. Can I track game? Sure can, and I'm pretty determined. That said, I'd never be so full of myself, or so brazen to think I'm better at tracking, than a well oiled machine with a nose probably 1000 times greater than mine, and eyes and ears 100 times better than mine. Eat, shit, sleep, and please my owner? Seems easier than being married lol! Yeah, it's pretty safe to say, I love dogs!

Pretty much sums it up Pete, dogs are awesome amazing creatures. I went a few months without one after my last lab (daisy) died. Even though there are 5 of us in our home I felt a strange loneliness . Kinda makes sense to me why these guys don’t charge much to work there dogs..

Pete, you knocked it out of the park again. It think it is great having dogs available for tracking. I get why people would do it for free. People love training and watching their dogs work whether it be for tracking, bird hunting, or running bears/coons/bobcat. The guys that took my daughter for her bear with their dogs just wanted people with tags. They accepted no cash. It was simply fun for them.

Back in the late 90's and early 2000's, started to train some short hairs for deer tracking. Most of it, was to get a dog something new. Ran a lot of NAVHCDA tests back then, and turned 2 of them, as they were older and not trialed anymore, into some pretty decent trackers.

Went to a competition in the UP, can not remember what year. Its was just for fun for me, but saw some awesome trackers. Best tracker there that day was a wire hair dachshund, that is one heck of a tracking dog for deer.

A good tracking dog is an awesome animal to have.

I been told a fella in Chippewa co. is $200. So I`d like to think you might have to know someone or be related to them for the free trailing or even the $100.

I did check out a couple trackers, one in WI said there is no charge but tips accepted on the website. I am sure it varies from dog to dog.

I did check out a couple trackers, one in WI said there is no charge but tips accepted on the website. I am sure it varies from dog to dog.

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